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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church #14

Posted on 11/12/2023 | Leave a comment

Protecting our Spiritual Ears

         I remember the Lord asking me a peculiar question some years ago. He asked, “How does faith come?” I immediately said, “Faith comes by hearing, Lord.”  (quoting Romans 10:17). The Lord then asked me, “So then, how does hearing come?”  I didn’t have a quick answer for Him, but I was immediately reminded of all the scriptures that state: “he who has ears to hear let him hear,” and many other scriptures that said, “They had eyes that see and could not see, they had ears but could not hear.”

After some study, I began to see why people who have the “appearance” of faith and declare that Jesus is their Lord are having great difficulty in their Christian walk. They don’t have a hearing ear, so faith never comes.

A typical teaching is that faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing, etc. And there is some truth to that line of thought. The thing that has not been taught much is that there are different ways to hear, and there is a difference between natural and spiritual hearing.

 Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Let me give you a more accurate translation of this verse to make it clear.

ROM 10:17 (my paraphrase): Faith comes by what we hear, and hearing comes from the Word of God that we act upon.

Just because we have ears does not mean we can hear the Word. Our spiritual ears, our hearts, can only be opened by obedience to the word of God. That word will come from the written Word and the spoken Word by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us as believers.  

Only the word of God we act upon will develop our spiritual hearing. Obedience opens our spiritual hearing so we can receive further instruction.

Throughout the bible, it is the disobedient and rebellious people who “had ears but could not hear.”

Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

Jeremiah 5:21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

Ezekiel 12:2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

Spiritual ears are opened by the word of God we act on. If we are in a place where we feel we cannot hear God’s voice, we should humble ourselves before Him and ask Him where we have been rebellious and disobedient. If God has spoken to us about something and we neglect or ignore it, he is not inclined to talk to us about anything else until we acknowledge and act on what He has already said.

There are vast realms of understanding and revelation that we willnever acquire if we are not doers of the word. If we do not act on what we have heard, the Bible says we are deceiving ourselves. If we hear the word and do nothing about it, we become spiritually deaf. 

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Once we obey the word of God, an extraordinary cycle begins. Acting on the Word gives life to our faith and increases our ability to hear more from the Lord, which gives us more opportunities to act on what we hear, which gives life to our faith, and the cycle repeats. This is the never-ending cycle of spiritual growth.

If the Word of God is sown in our hearts and we refuse to act on it (rebellion), the devil has the right to steal it from us. This is the condition that we see in the parable of the sower.

Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

There are too many “wayside” Christians in the Church today. The spiritual condition of the Church as a whole is poor, in part because of the inability to hear what the Lord is saying to this generation.

As leaders, we must live a life of strict obedience and teach those following us to do the same.

Matthew 13:9-13 He who has ears, let him hear.” 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

When Jesus called the twelve disciples, He said to them: “Come.” They acted on that word and continued to follow Him.Because they acted on the word, they had ears to hear more.

Every time God speaks to us, corrects us, or even rebukes us, He is saying, “Come follow Me.” If the disciples did not follow when Jesus said, “Come,” Jesus would have kept right on walking, and they would not have been close enough to Him to hear further instructions.

Every time God speaks to us about anything, He is asking us to pursue Him. Let’s look at the rest of this passage.

Matthew 13:14-15 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

Lack of spiritual hearing is a heart problem caused by unbelief. Unbelief can be manifest in many ways: rebellion, disobedience, lack of understanding, spiritual laziness, pride, or selfish desires. No matter what form it takes, obedience is the cure.

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

God has already spoken many things to us in His written word. Why would He be inclined to say anything else if we are not interested in what He already said? Find out what God has already spoken and act on THAT. This will give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.

Question: What causes Christians to become dull of hearing?

Question: What is the difference between Natural and spiritual hearing?

Question: Why is spiritual hearing so important?

Question: How do we develop and maintain clear spiritual hearing?

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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church #12

Posted on 11/11/2023 | Leave a comment

Stewarding God’s Kingdom

Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

          The kingdom of God is in the heart of every believer. The kingdom of God is like the Garden of Eden in the Old Testament. Like the Garden of Eden, there are two trees in the kingdom of God in our hearts. The Holy Spirit represents the Tree of Life, and our sovereign, free will represents the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

          When we are born of the Spirit, the kingdom of God enters us as a seed, and it is our responsibility to guard, tend, and protect that seed, watering it, feeding it, and exposing it to the light of God’s word.

Luke 13:18 Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

          If we are not diligent in guarding the kingdom in our hearts, our spiritual growth is suppressed.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

          To guard our hearts is to defend God’s kingdom. Spiritual growth is reflected in our lives in direct proportion to the growth and health of the kingdom within us.

          We have far more distractions now than at any other time in history. It requires a disciplined approach to personal devotion and spiritual growth to fight against the tides of constant distractions. We have so many voices vying for our attention that it is easy to be pulled off course and compromise our relationship with the Lord.

Avoiding Itchy Ears

          Several years ago, the Lord corrected me firmly while reading a book by a famous Christian author. As I was reading, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Jack, I don’t want you to eat any more leavened bread.” Being overweight, I said, “OK, Lord,” thinking He was putting me on a diet of sorts. He immediately corrected my thinking and said, “No, what you are doing now is eating leavened bread.”

          I immediately realized that I was reading books about the Bible far more than the Bible. I have long been a voracious reader and realized my error. I was constantly looking for the latest teaching and the latest revelation. The eloquent words, profound thoughts, and statements of respected ministers seduced me. I was being an itchy-eared fool.

          While reading my Bible, I had a devotional time where I would read a chapter or two, pray, and then go about my day, but then I would spend hours reading other men’s books and teachings, watching sermons on YouTube, or watching Christian TV. This is a dangerous and common mistake that many Christians fall into and think nothing of it.

          The Lord called this leavened bread, emphasizing that the Bible alone contains the pure, unleavened bread of truth. These things have their place, but only as supplements to our reading, studying, and listening to the Bible for ourselves.

          If all we fed our bodies were vitamins and supplements, we would quickly lose weight, lose strength, and weaken until we eventually die. If all we do is have a 20-minute devotional a day, we will remain a spiritual baby.

1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

          No matter how far we have progressed in our spiritual growth, we should all respond to God’s word as a newborn baby. An infant needs milk every two to four hours to remain healthy and grow properly. It is no accident that God uses this analogy to teach us how desperately we need His word.

          When Moses died, and Joshua took over the leadership position over Israel, God gave Joshua this instruction.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 

          Joshua’s instruction is just as valid for us today as it was for him. Without constant intake of, exposure to, and meditation on God’s word, we will not be able to obey the word, we will not make our way prosperous, and we will not have success.

          The book of Proverbs gives us further insight.

Proverbs 4:20-23 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

          Giving the word its proper attention and respect brings life and health to us personally, as well as those we are leading.

The Impact of Personal Relationship with the Word

          Our relationship with God will never rise above our commitment to His word.The primary way we relate to God is through the Bible. Jesus is called “the word of God” for a reason. How we revere and respect God’s written word is a direct reflection of how much we respect and value Jesus and all he has accomplished.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

          This is a powerful verse that helps us understand the impact that God’s living word has on our lives.After a few months of reading only the Bible, I began to change. I was starting to see things differently. It was like coming out of deep sleep with a foggy mind, slowly becoming aware of my surroundings. I could feel the light of God’s word at work in me, doing surgery on me, exposing darkness in my heart and mind. As the months and years passed, I became increasingly aware of some things.

  1. First and foremost, I saw that many of the doctrines that I was taught and believed for decades were not even biblical. I had strongholds of wrong thinking and believing that could only be dismantled by constant exposure to the sincere milk of the word of God—the unleavened bread of truth. I was finally beginning to know the truth after almost three decades, and the truth was setting me free.
  • My relationship with the Lord changed. It was enriched in more ways than I can articulate. My understanding of God’s nature grew, and I began to understand who He was finally, and in turn, began to realize who I was in Him. He showed me things about His nature and how He thinks. I understood more about His great love for us, and my love for Him grew.
  • I saw the importance of intimacy with the Father. I understood that intimacy is where the most significant transformation takes place for a believer. My prayer life became enriched. My compassion for others who were bound by the same deceptions that I was began to increase, and I found myself spending more time praying for others than I did for myself.
  • I saw the importance and need for holiness. I asked the Lord to teach me and lead me into holiness. His answer to that prayer was to teach me the fear of the Lord. He showed me that holiness is perfected in the fear of the Lord. (2 Cor 7:1) I could see this was a missing component in most of the body of Christ.
  • Wisdom increased and became evident to me and others. The Lord would give me the right things to say and the right questions to ask, and I had the restraint to remain silent where, previously, I was often too quick to respond. My influence over others increased, and I saw the tremendous responsibility we have as teachers and leaders.
  • Obedience to God’s word became easier. My faith and trust in Him grew stronger by the day. Worry and anxiety had no place to land in my life.
  • Demonic attacks increased against me when I gave myself to only reading God’s word. Still, my understanding of spiritual warfare multiplied so much that the Lord inspired me to write a book on spiritual warfare.
  • Pride, arrogance, and bitterness were exposed in my life. As I flooded my heart and mind with truth, the darkness within me manifested and forced me to deal with it. This birthed a holy fear and humility that I had not previously known.
  • My heart became increasingly broken for the body of Christ. I realized that most Christians were trapped in the itchy-eared deception that I was, and I began to pray for the worldwide body of Christ daily.
  1. It was now easier to hear when God spoke to me personally. Many Christians say that they don’t hear God speaking to them. The truth is He has already spoken many things to us in His written word. If we are uninterested in what He has said, why would He be inclined to talk to us about anything else?

These are just a few things that changed in me after putting God’s word first.

It is easy to get trapped into depending on others to feed us and interpret God’s word. However, we have a responsibility in our relationship with God to pursue Him for ourselves.

The primary way we do that is through seeking to understand Him through what He has already said to us in the Bible. Not seeking other men’s opinions, not depending on our pastor’s interpretation, and not reading or listening to the latest book or teaching about it. We must discover what He is saying to us personally by reading, studying, and listening to it ourselves.

It takes 65-75 hours to listen to a digital recording of the entire Bible. Being a slow reader or claiming that we don’t understand the Bible is not a valid excuse to neglect God’s written word. We have so many tools that make absorbing God’s word easy that no one should be scripturally illiterate. It is an indictment against us for how little we value the written word of God.

Question: How would you describe your personal relationship with the word of God?

Question: Do you spend more time reading books and listening to teachings about the Bible than you do reading or listening to it for yourself?

Question: Can you quote Joshua 1:8?

Question: What does your daily devotional time look like?

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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church #11

Posted on 11/10/2023 | Leave a comment

Personal Devotion, the Key to All Ministry

          The level of our devotion will largely determine our impact and effectiveness as leaders. Our devotion is an expression of our love for God. If we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we will inspire others to do the same.

          Spiritual growth is like physical growth, with one exception. Physically, we are born as infants and progress through various stages of development until growth slows down in our late teens, and we eventually reach our physical prime around 30-35 years old. Then, because of the curse that is on the Earth, we begin to decline physically and sometimes mentally until we eventually die.

Spiritually, we should never slow down in our growth or reach a peak from which we begin to decline.

The greatest thing we can do for ourselves and others is to pursue God with all our heart and give ourselves entirely to our Spiritual progress and development. We should continually grow in Him, increasing in the knowledge of His word and cultivating a more intimate relationship with Him. Spiritual growth and progress must always remain our most important ministry. The closer we get to God, the more helpful we will be to others.

2 Peter 3:17b-18 …beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Paul and Peter are telling us about the importance of growing in the grace and knowledge of God. However, there’s something else going on here too. In both passages, we see an effort to convince readers not to fall prey to false teachers and false doctrines so that their spiritual growth would not be hindered.

Believing a false doctrine will not only stunt our spiritual growth but cause us to grow in ways that create strongholds of wrong thinking and wrong believing that cause us harm, as well as those who follow our teachings.

To grow in our faith, we must discern and tune out any voices that add to or take away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can’t grow spiritually if we allow ourselves to be poisoned by false teachings and doctrines of men and devils. These days, false teachers and false doctrines are more numerous than ever. Steady spiritual growth will require us to be spiritually discerning, focused on truth, and guard our hearts from all evil influence. 

          The first and most crucial discipline we must have in place is putting God’s word first in our lives. If it seems that I am over-emphasizing this point, I am not. It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of God’s word.

1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

          Here, we see two more requirements for continued spiritual growth. Laying aside selfish and self-seeking behavior and desiring the sincere milk of the word.

          Selfishness is an anti-Christ spirit. This is why we are commanded to die to self. Envy, jealousy, selfish ambition, malicious thoughts and actions, evil speaking, and corrupt communication are all birthed from a self-centered wellspring. Look at what James has to say about this.

James 3:14-17 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 

          When we engage in self-seeking behavior, we are feeding the carnal man. We then cause confusion and become a landing strip for demonic activity. In this environment, spiritual growth stops, and we become weakened and vulnerable to more demonic influence.

Face-to-Face with God

James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Friendship with the world is spiritual adultery! Let that sink in.

Mark 8:38  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

From the above passages, we see the mandate of God to separate from the world and die to our carnal nature with its selfish desires. We should never candy-coat this, not to our leadership team and not to our followers. We must wake up daily and present ourselves before the Lord, laying our lives on the altar.

God will not share space with anything unholy. God is very particular about where He abides. We can see this clearly from the Old Testament Temples and the tent of meeting.

However, God is gracious. He is patient and kind. He gives us time to die to ourselves and time to grow spiritually. He has given us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and His word to help us remove everything in His temple that is not pleasing to Him. Thanks be to God!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which is God’s.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

We find a valuable truth in Exodus to help us understand how we keep the old man crucified.

In Exodus 33:18, Moses said to God, “Please show me your glory.” This was God’s response:

Exodus 33:20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 

Intimacy with God and exposure to His word is our carnal man’s face-to-face encounter with the Lord, and no man can see God’s face and live. Approaching God and His word daily with an unveiled face crucifies the old man while at the same time transforming us into His image from one degree of glory to the next.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Question: What is the greatest thing we can do for our family, friends, and those that follow us?

Question: What happens to us when we believe false doctrines?

Question: What is our most important ministry?

Question: What can we do to discern false teachings and doctrines of devils?

Question: How can we have a face-to-face encounter with God?

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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church #10

Posted on 11/09/2023 | Leave a comment

Why Leaders Struggle with Sin

          Most Christians are familiar with the phrase, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” If this statement is accurate, and we know it is because it’s God’s holy written word, then why are so many Christians living in apparent bondage to sin? The problem is we don’t know the truth; we just know some things about it.

          Let’s look at that scripture in context.

John 8:31-32  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

          The problem here is obvious. Those who struggle with sin do not abide in God’s written word. To abide means to remain constantly, to dwell continually. We are to live our Christian lives with constant exposure to and intake of the word of God. If we do not, according to the above scripture, we are not even considered a disciple, let alone be set free.

          It has been my observation for the last 35 years that most Christians do not understand the value or importance of reading and listening to the word for themselves. They may attend church faithfully, they may read many books and listen to many teachings about the Bible, they watch Christian television and listen to Christian radio, but only read a chapter or two of the Bible for themselves daily, if that.

          Spending only fifteen to thirty minutes a day in the Bible for ourselves will cause us to remain a baby Christian all our lives.

Other passages in the Bible tell us to keep the word before our eyes, meditate on it day and night, keep it in our mouths, attend unto God’s word, and keep it in the midst of our hearts.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

          It is the supernatural power in God’s word that sets us free. God’s word is alive! It imparts grace and truth to us in ways that we can’t begin to understand. Truth is the one unchangeable constant in the universe. It is the only thing in existence that can set us free and keep us free.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

          God’s word is a sharp, surgical instrument that can operate on our soul and spirit when we keep it before us. It will separate and remove anything that would keep us bound. Some surgeries take longer than others, but if we abide in God’s word, staying under the knife, so to speak, we will soon be free of the things that keep us chained.

Do we really love Him?

          In our minds, I think we all do. But what does Jesus have to say about it?

John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.

          That seems straightforward, doesn’t it?

John 14:21-24 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

          Loving and keeping God’s word is how we express love for God. Obedience is God’s love language. If we do not love God’s word enough to read it for ourselves and stay in it continually, then we cannot claim to love God according to scripture.

James 1:21-25 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

          In verse 21, we see the word “implanted.” Some translations read “engrafted.”

What does implanted or engrafted mean? The Greek word is “emphutos,” pronounced “em’-foo-tos,” and this word is only used once in the New Testament.

If you are familiar with a surgical implant, a skin graft, or a tree with a grafted branch, then you know what implanted means.

An implant takes living tissue and grafts it into another living tissue to make both one. If grafted properly, the thing being grafted becomes a living part of the thing it is grafted into.

Spiritually speaking, the living word of God is fastened or grafted into our spirit until the living word becomes a part of us and we become one. The word of God literally becomes flesh. Just like Jesus, the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)

Why Jesus is Called the Word

John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Words are powerful. The Bible is full of warnings and instructions on the use and misuse of words. Have you ever considered what a word is?

A word is a verbal or written expression that carries ideas and creates images in the one who hears it. The very nature of the word shapes the image that it produces. We can implant thoughts and create images in other people’s minds.

If I say, “Black Labrador Retriever with a red collar,” I just put a specific image in your head. You took what I said, you processed it through your memory and experience, and it produced a particular thought/picture in your mind.It created an image!

Jesus didn’t die for us to remain the same and someday go to Heaven. He died so that we could be transformed into His image and God’s original purpose for mankind could be restored in you.

The written Word helps us create and maintain the image of God in us.

James 1:23-25  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

If we read the Bible and keep it before our eyes and in our thoughts, we will have a good idea of what the image of God is because Jesus was the express image of God. Jesus is the Word made flesh. The Bible is Jesus in print, the thoughts, ideas, and images of God the Father.

Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

We see in this verse that Jesus was not only the express image of God, but He upheld all things by His word. This means that, among other things, the image of the Father was upheld in Him by the power of His words.

God’s image in you is upheld by receiving the implanted, engrafted word.

To receive the implanted word, we must be doers of the word. If we are not a doer of the word, we have not received it, nor do we believe it. We have only heard it.

The self-deception James talks about in the above verse is hearing the word and thinking we know it. Until we practice what we have heard, we don’t know it, and we don’t fully understand it. Many leaders make the mistake of teaching things they have only heard and not practiced, thinking they have learned something when they have not.

Abiding in God’s word gives us the strength, faith, and courage to obey His word.

Hunger for the Word like a Baby

1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

          Just so we all understand what abiding in God’s word looks like, let me expound on this passage.

          I have raised three children, and without fail, every child demanded to be fed eight to twelve times a day when they were newborns. It didn’t matter if it was the middle of the night; they would wake up crying for a meal.

          When was the last time you woke up in the middle of the night and just had to read God’s word, had to hear it, had to taste it? How many times a day do you visit the scriptures?

Spiritual hunger, unlike physical hunger, is stimulated by eating, not starving. The number one discipline Christians should establish in their lives is abiding in God’s word.

There is a reason God spent over 1500 years and used 40 different people who spoke three different languages, putting together this wonderful, recorded, historical, and anointed document called the Bible. It is our blueprint, our manual for life, our spiritual food. It is God’s thoughts, feelings, instructions, and ideas that He has made readily available to the children He so dearly loves. Let’s not take that for granted.

Leaders Can’t be Slaves

          Let’s finish this chapter with the rest of the passage we started with.

John 8:31-36 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

          When a leader struggles with sin, confidence is diminished, and faith is compromised. Our conscience must be clear to operate in complete trust and dependency on God. Living with a violated conscience produces doublemindedness.

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Constant engagement with God’s word is the only thing that will purge us of all unrighteousness and empower us to handle the responsibility of being a vessel of God’s power.

The Path to Freedom is Being Honest with Ourselves

          Are you struggling with sin? Do you stumble and fall in the same area repeatedly? Would you like to know why? Would you like to be free?

Psalm 119:9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

Ephesians 5:26 tells us we are cleansed “with the washing of water by the word.” There are things in our minds, strongholds, things that deal with conduct, old habits, character, and attitude that are only cleansed by the water of the Word. Jesus IS living water. He is also the living Word.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

          If you stumble continually in the same area, you need light to reveal what you are stumbling over. If you have ever walked barefoot in the dark and slammed your little toe into a piece of furniture or a child’s toy, you quickly learn to turn the light on.

          Why is it so hard to grasp our need for continuous light? We walk in a world of darkness, and WE are supposed to be the light of the world. How can we BE the light if we are not flooded with light?

          It takes less than 100 hours for a slow reader to read the Bible cover to cover and only 65-75 hours to listen to the entire Bible on an app like BibleGateway. That means if we would read or listen only one hour a day, we would be going through the Bible a minimum of 3-6 times a year. It reveals how little God’s people respect and value His Word. There will be no excuses when we stand before Him.

          Darkness cannot remain where the light is constantly shining. Freedom from sin will require us to walk in and stay in the light. How badly do we want freedom from sin?

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

          We can live in a place where the devil can’t touch us. The closer we are to God, the less influence the devil can have in our lives.

          Right now, you and I are as close to God as we desire to be. Almost no Christian agrees with that statement at first, but God draws close to us as we take the initiative to draw close to Him.

To be closer to God, be less of a target for the enemy, and struggle less with the carnal nature, we must take the first steps toward God. We do this by flooding ourselves with the light and life of God’s word until His very nature is engrafted into our being.

James 4:7-10 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Question: What is the number one reason Christians struggle with sin?

Question: What does receiving the engrafted word look like?

Question: What does it mean to love God according to scripture?

Question: What does it mean to desire the sincere milk of the word like a newborn babe?

Question: How often do you listen to or read the Bible in a year, and can you increase that?

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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #8

Posted on 11/07/2023 | Leave a comment

The Ministry of Delegation

As the ministry grows, the necessity of delegation grows as well. The need for delegation arises when we reach our natural and spiritual limitations. When a ministry becomes more complex, a point is reached where the leader is no longer able to cope with every aspect of the ministry on their own. Realizing that neither time nor their efforts are adequate to meet the needs of the people they lead. Before this point is reached, a plan for delegation should already be in place.

The inability or unwillingness to delegate to others can stall ministry growth and produce burnout in the leadership team. This is a common mistake that small ministries make, and often, it is the reason they stay small.

          An excellent analogy for delegation is “the ability to score without touching the ball.” Learning to accomplish things through others involves the skill of delegation. It is an essential part of effective leadership. Delegation should be viewed as a ministry in itself.

Self-awareness

The Ministry of Delegation begins with self-awareness and an honest assessment of our limitations. Identifying the areas where we are weak will help us target the right people with the proper graces and abilities to complement the ministry. No one likes to admit they have areas of weakness, but we all have them.

An honest self-assessment can be brutal and usually requires the input and feedback of other peers and leaders. If married, our spouse can be a tremendous asset in this department. We don’t just trust our point of view because our perspective can often be filled with blind spots. We all have blind spots, and we need others to help us see from a broader point of view. One of the most common blind spots is believing others have them and we don’t. The need for a ministry of delegation is a blind spot with many leaders that can cripple a ministry.

In Exodus 18, we see a powerful example of the need to delegate. When Moses was leading the children of Israel, he came to a point where Jethro, his father-in-law, had to point out his need to delegate responsibilities. Moses was sincere, but the need to delegate was his blind spot.

Exodus 18:13-23 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14 So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”

15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

17 So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. 18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”

Bearing the burden of ministry ourselves is never God’s plan. As individuals, we are not capable of fulfilling all He has called us to do. We are called into a community with relationships that God flows through. Every part of the body has a role to play, a function and purpose that will help edify the body as a whole.

Every leader must realize that they need to surround themselves with solid relationships that can share the ministry load. This is the only way to fulfill God’s plan.

There is a powerful truth in Ephesians 4 that will help us understand this.

Ephesians 4:16 – From whom (Christ) the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Notice in this passage that supply comes primarily from the jointsin the body, not the parts of the body.

A joint is where two parts meet together, like an elbow or a knee joint. It is the relationship between the parts that bring spiritual supply.

A healthy relationship causes the connected parts to be more mobile and more effective, increasing the ability and strength of all the connected parts. It is no coincidence that Jesus used this analogy. If you have ever had an injured joint like an ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist, you know how debilitating and restricting it can be.

          It is the relationships between the parts that bring the needed supply of the Spirit for ministry growth. If relationships are healthy and every part is in place, effectively working and doing its share, growth, and edification in love is the result.

This is why it is essential to be deliberate about who you delegate to. Maintaining a healthy relationship with those you delegate to is crucial to success.

General Guidelines for the ministry of delegation:

  • Define the responsibility to be delegated.
  • Select faithful individuals (at least two) who can carry that responsibility.
  • Assess their gifts, graces, and skills and tailor the training accordingly.
  • Give clear and precise expectations in writing.
  • Supply them with all the necessary tools and resources needed for success.
  • Develop a plan to support and communicate.
  • Provide regular feedback on results.

Delegate early

Try to delegate responsibilities early to avoid unnecessary pressure. Having a ministry of delegation in place early prevents stress on the leaders and sets up the person we are delegating to for success. Waiting until things get to the point of neglect and panic makes it difficult for everyone involved. If we want to do great things for God and have the most impact on our circle of influence, delegation must be a part of our leadership culture.

Select the Right People

Always delegate to a deacon or elder. This ensures that the person has the character to represent the ministry. Make sure they have the time to take on the responsibility. Before sending them out to tackle the new responsibility, ensure the person has all the training and resources needed to succeed. Try to delegate to people who are better than you in that specific area and let them do the work. Look for people who already have a mindset of excellence and refuse to settle for anything less than remarkable results.

Set Clear Goals and Expectations

Be clear and specific about what is expected. Give information on what, why, when, who, and where, but leave the “how” to them. Don’t be too concerned about how it gets done, but that it gets done right, with integrity, and on time. Confirm and verify goals and expectations regularly and get updates on progress. This allows you to give needed feedback and encouragement and identify any areas of further training that will help and support them.

“Don’t tell people how to do things; tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” ~ George S. Patton ~

Delegate Authority with the Responsibility

Giving people the authority to make certain decisions, use their creativity, and even recruit others to help accomplish the task allows the person to take ownership of the responsibility. It shows that we value their opinions and trust their judgment. This helps maintain a healthy relationship and grooms them for leadership in other areas.

          It is frustrating to be given a task without the authority to decide how it gets done. Micro-managing every task we delegate will run people off and prevent us from building a solid leadership team. The best leaders are the ones who have enough sense to pick good people to do what they want done and self-restraint to keep from micro-managing while they do it. When we delegate authority with responsibility, we create healthy environments that groom and encourage emerging leaders.

Evaluate and Recognize Performance

Evaluations focus on the results more than the methods. Celebrate the wins and give credit where credit is due. Analyze the cause of insufficient performance and bring corrections as necessary, but don’t be too quick to take a project away from someone. Instead, continue to work with the person and ensure they understand the project as their responsibility. Advise on ways to improve and be willing to be a resource yourself. This sends a message that you believe in them and want them to succeed. This approach inspires people to be better, empowers them to reach higher, and motivates them to try harder.

Every person we lead has God-given gifts and talents. Delegation is an excellent way for people to function and develop in their gifts and graces. This promotes growth in the individual and brings healthy challenges that stretch their faith and empower them for Kingdom use. Great leaders empower others to become all God created them to be.

Question: What are two reasons that delegation is essential?

Question: Why is self-awareness critical when delegating responsibilities?

Question: What are two areas you are weak in?

Question: Can you name some guidelines for delegation?

Question: What was Moses “blind spot” in Exodus 18?

Thank you for visiting Truth Pressure Ministries. Please share and help reach more people with the truth.

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